Quebec author ends effort to document novel’s origins amid AI allegations

Thélyson Orélien has stopped gathering evidence to support his denial that AI was used to write his novel, his publisher says. The allegations remain unresolved, and Éditions du Boréal will continue selling the book, which is expected to be reprinted next week.

Global News Edmonton has reported:

Quebec author Thélyson Orélien has ended an effort to compile evidence about how his novel was written, leaving allegations of artificial intelligence use unresolved. His publisher, Éditions du Boréal, confirmed that Orélien chose to stop the process. The publisher will continue selling the book, “C’était ça ou mourir,” whose title translates as “It was either that or dying.”

In an email to The Canadian Press, Boréal provided comments from co-director Renaud Roussel. “The publishing house supported him in this process, which he chose to end,” Roussel said. “That decision is his to make, and we accept it, although we certainly would have preferred to be able to provide definitive answers to the allegations of AI use against him.”

Orélien did not immediately respond to a Canadian Press request for comment on ending the evidence-gathering process. In September, Boréal said it was working with him to assemble a detailed record of his work on the manuscript before it was submitted. Orélien had earlier told French media outlet Libération that he was collecting evidence with his publishers in France and Quebec to support his account of the novel’s creation.

Roussel said the initiative originated with Orélien and that the publisher supported his effort. He said Boréal’s position had not changed. In a statement released Wednesday, the publisher said it received the manuscript on Sept. 12, 2025, and could not independently verify how the novel was written before that date.

Boréal said its role was not to require authors to prove how they wrote their work, but to stand by them, leaving readers to decide whether to buy the book. Orélien said in a statement released through the publisher on Tuesday that he had nothing to prove to people accusing him. He has denied using AI, saying he began the novel in 2017 and completed a first draft of more than 300 pages in 2019.

The publisher confirmed that the novel’s sales have slowed since the controversy began, but declined to give figures. The book remains available in bookstores, though Boréal said it is out of stock at the publishing house and expects a new printing next week. Earlier this week, Renaud-Bray spokesperson Floriane Claveau said the major Quebec bookstore chain had not seen a significant change in sales over the preceding weeks.

Demand for the digital edition has been high at Montreal-based Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, the province’s library and archives institution. As of Oct. 14, the library’s online lending service had 1,713 reservations for the novel. Spokesperson Claire-Hélène Lengellé said interest had remained strong for several weeks.

The controversy has also affected the novel’s prospects in France. Earlier this month, it was removed from consideration for the prestigious Prix Goncourt amid allegations of AI use and separate plagiarism allegations concerning Orélien’s earlier writings. In his Tuesday statement, he acknowledged plagiarism in some of his previous work and apologized for what he called unacceptable mistakes in his youth, while maintaining that no sentence in the novel was generated by a machine.

Boréal suspended promotional activities for the novel in September, citing concerns about the author’s well-being. On Wednesday, it confirmed that it would keep selling the book because there had been no definitive findings on the AI allegations.